Prince Edmund
Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh, or The Black Adder was the main character in the first series and the first Blackadder shown in the series. He was the son (possibly step-son) of King Richard IV and, as a Prince of the Realm, was second in the line of succession to the Throne of England. He also served for a time as the Archbishop of Canterbury and, for only 30 seconds before his death, was the King of England after the whole of his family had been unintentionally poisoned by Percy, the Prince drinking from the same goblet and soon died, ending his reign before it could even begin. He was also the great-grandfather of Lord Edmund Blackadder. Biography Prince Edmund was born in 1461, about eighteen months after his elder brother, Prince Harry. We first see Prince Edmund at a feast just before the Battle of Bosworth Field, where the King is making a speech. We also see Percy, Duke of Northumberland here, as Edmund turns to speak to him. The two are soon joined by an ex-dung heap employee Baldrick, Son of Robin the Dung Gatherer, who with a bit of flattery manages to win enough favor with Edmund to be chosen as his squire for the morning battle. At the Battle Edmund beheaded King Richard III when he came upon the King attempting to take his horse. This led to Edmund's father, then the Duke of York, ascending to the throne. In 1486, he learned that his mother once had an affair with the father of MacAngus, which may have resulted in Edmund's birth. Even Gertrude doesn't seem entirely sure who his father was. In 1485, at about the age of twenty-four, Edmund was slated to be married to the Spanish Infanta as part of his father's political machinations. But changes in the political climate led to his eventual marriage to the eight-year-old Princess Leia of Hungary. In 1498, after being stripped of all of his titles except Lord Warden of the Royal Privies, Edmund orchestrated a coup by which he meant to overthrow the King and take the throne for himself. He formed The Black Seal, a band of the most evil men in the Kingdom. However, at the insistence of Edmund's nemesis, Philip of Burgundy, The Black Seal turns on Edmund and he is strapped to a device that ultimately mutilates his body, fatally injuring him. After Baldrick and Percy's plan to destroy the Seal leaves not only the rebels, but also virtually the entire Court dead, Edmund effectively becomes King just long enough to unknowingly drink poison and die. Since his wife was only 14 at the time of his death, he must have had an illegitimate relationship which led to his great-grandson, Lord Edmund Blackadder and the rest of his descendants. However, it is somewhat possible Leia could have borne his descendants considering how medieval marriage and childbirth worked. See also *Prince Edmund (pilot) Category:Characters Category:The Black Adder characters category:Blackadder Family Category:Monarchs Category:Characters played by Rowan Atkinson Category:Princes Category:Kings Category:English Category:Male Category:Dukes Category:Combatants of The Battle of Bosworth Field